As is known, the high power and fast response of high-performance road sports cars make them fairly difficult to drive, especially in unfavourable weather. To make normal driving safer, high-performance sports cars are therefore equipped with various electronic driver-aid devices, such as an ABS (Anti Block System, for preventing the wheels blocking when braking), ESP (Electronic Stability Program, for controlling vehicle stability), ASP (Anti Skid Program, for preventing skid of the drive wheels), and electronic suspension control (for adjusting suspension response to stress).
To enable the driver to adapt response of the electronic driver-aid devices to the desired driving mode and weather conditions, the passenger compartment of the vehicle is normally equipped, on the central tunnel close to the gear lever, with a selection button for transmitting the driver-selected driving mode—normal or sport—to a central control unit.
The gradual increase in the number and complexity of electronic driver-aid devices calls for increased communication between the driver and the central control unit, to enable the central control unit to control the electronic driver-aid devices as best suited to both driving mode and weather conditions. Accordingly, it has been proposed to equip the central tunnel with a series of buttons enabling the driver to choose between various dynamic vehicle performance modes.
Tests have shown, however, that the above solution, featuring a number of buttons on the central tunnel, is complicated to use and tends to distract the driver when driving the vehicle.